IHIGH LINKS

BATS COME ALIVE LEADING JAGS TO DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP OF RAIDERS

INDIANAPOLIS – After being shut out twice last weekend at Omaha, the IUPUI softball team saw its offense return to form Wednesday evening leading the Jaguars to a doubleheader sweep over Wright State at the IUPUI Softball Complex.

The Jags exploded for 21 runs on Wednesday with eight of those 21 coming in an 8-0, five-inning win in Game 1. In Game 2, the Jags needed all 13 runs to eke out a 13-12 victory.

"This was a great way for us to start a big week," head coach Amanda Rivera said. "We did some good things offensively, and that will have to continue this weekend against a great IPFW pitching staff."

In the opener, IUPUI received 5.0 innings of shutout ball from Jocelyn Oppenhuis in the circle, and her offense took care of the rest.

The run support came early with Ali Mosier delivering a three-run homer and Roni Patterson driving in two runs of her own to give the Jags a 5-0 lead.

Still leading by that same margin in the fifth, Taylor Chitwood hit a three-run homer to give the Jags the 8-0, five-inning victory.

In Game 2, it was an offensive show that went back-and-forth. The Raiders scored three times in the fifth to take what looked to be a comfortable 7-3 lead, but the Jaguars exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the frame to catapult back in front, 10-7. The inning was capped by a grand slam from Lindsey Richards, her seventh home run of the season.

Wright State retaliated with five more runs in the sixth to recapture a 12-10 advantage, but the Jags offense continued to battle back in their half of the inning when Chitwood hit a solo home run to claw the Jaguars within one, 12-11.

After Oppenhuis came in to retire the Raiders in the seventh, the Jags had one last chance to pull out the victory. Three straight hits from Megan Cory, Richards and Eryn Dillon loaded the bases with nobody out, and a single through the left side from Mosier evened the score at 12-12 while keeping the bases loaded.

Following a strikeout, Patterson hit a sharp ground ball to the shortstop, who was playing deep. The shortstop attempted to come home to get the force out on Richards, but she beat the throw giving IUPUI the walk-off victory.

The victories upped the Jaguars record to 22-19 overall, and they look to build upon that win total this weekend when they host IPFW in a three-game Summit League series at the IUPUI Softball Complex.

The series starts with a doubleheader on Friday, May 2, beginning at 3 p.m. ET. The series concludes on Saturday, May 3, with a single game beginning at 2 p.m. ET. Saturday will serve as Senior Day for the softball team and six seniors – Oppenhuis, Nikki Thomas, Jessica Lam, Lauren Cooper, Angela Bartucci and Richards - will be honored prior to the start of the finale.